It is clear that the New England Patriots are in need of wide receivers, and the free agent market quickly cleared out this offseason.
The Patriots reportedly pursued Odell Beckham Jr. heavily last season, and eventually shifted gears towards the New York Giants second best receiver, Sterling Shepard, according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
After losing Chris Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson, the Patriots had interest in numerous free agent receivers — but didn’t sign anyone. The return of Josh Gordon is uncertain and Julian Edelman is the only established receiver on the depth chart.
The acquisition of Shepard would’ve been huge for New England, but the Giants were able to re-sign him on a four-year, $41 million contract.
It’s back to the drawing board for a New England offense that features Phillip Dorsett as their No. 2 receiver.
